


High Hopes

by grilledbees



Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU!Naruto, Anbu!sasuke, First Real Kiss, Getting Together, Hokage!Kakashi, M/M, Masturbation, Post-War Fix-It, light frottage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 05:07:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20465501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grilledbees/pseuds/grilledbees
Summary: Sasuke's got issues, sure.Right now, his biggest issue is figuring out how to confess to a certain blonde idiot.—————On hiatus





	1. Nothing Else Matters

**Author's Note:**

> This will eventually get rated E, so jump ship now if you're not interested.

Left, right.  
Left, right.  
Left, right. 

_What the fuck is wrong with me? Stop staring at his ass. _

I just couldn’t stop myself from following the subtle sway of his hips as he walked in front of me. 

_Fuck, stop staring! He’s going to noti-_

I snapped out of my mental breakdown prematurely when an obnoxiously loud dobe yelled over his shoulder, “Oi, teme! Are you listening to me?”

Bright blue eyes framed by a white mask with ornate orange markings and three dark whisker marks on each side were looking deep into mine, looking for an answer to a question I seemed to not have heard. “Hn?”

Naruto rolled his eyes slightly and slowed down to walk side by side. 

“I asked if you wanted to hang out tonight since we have the day off tomorrow?” He asked. “We can get a drink or something.”

I nodded and replied, “Sure, dobe.”

Naruto tucked his hands behind his neck in a laid back, content fashion. I knew he was grinning beneath his mask but he said nothing more as we continued up the main road toward the village, quickly approaching the gates. Naruto is one of the only ANBU members who speak while donning the iconic ANBU mask. He knows to stay silent during the actual missions, but tends to let himself babble during travel. We were just getting back from an ANBU mission that had taken a few weeks. It was nothing special, but it had taken longer than originally anticipated. Luckily, the dobe makes a pretty good ANBU team captain, not that I would ever say so aloud. 

I smirked at the thought of verbally expressing how competent I believe Naruto to be right to his face. He would probably scream, faint, then check to see if I was an imposter. Perhaps not in that order. A less controlled person would have let the slight chuckle escape their lips at the mental image. 

“Ah, I can’t wait to sleep in a real bed tonight,” Naruto said dreamily to himself. 

_Damn, what I would give to join him._

Damn it, I really need to stop thinking like that. I can’t even confess to the blonde idiot. How could I ever hope to spend a night in his bed? God, this is why I can’t bring myself to do it. The dobe makes me think all kinds of idiotic, weak thoughts about being curled up with him under a blanket, his head tucked under my chin, our arms wrapped around each other. 

_Stop thinking about it, for fuck’s sake! You don’t even know how he feels!_

Not that I’ll ever know if I don’t tell him already. 

I’ve been holding onto the secret knowledge of my ‘romantic,’ for lack of a better word, feelings toward the beloved village idiot for close to two years now. After the war ended, I left to rediscover myself and try to right some of my endless wrongs. During the few years I was gone, I saw Naruto exactly five times. Each time was mission related, as I was still looking out for Konoha’s best interest. As time went on and Kakashi became Hokage, I started getting assigned real missions on occasion. Anything above a B ranked mission, a full team of Leaf ninja would accompany me. I knew it was more for Kakashi to check in on me than to insinuate I needed the help. It was annoying, but much more than I deserved, so I could hardly complain. 

The fifth mission, a peacekeeping diplomatic mission to the Land of Waves, was just me and Naruto. Man, if that didn’t bring back memories from our genin days. I suspect that’s why Kakashi chose this particular mission for the two of us. 

When the mission was over, Naruto insisted we visit the bridge I saved his life on almost ten years ago. I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing, but the dobe talked me into it. 

As we gazed out over the bridge to the landscape below and the night sky above, Naruto was, of course, the first to break the silence. 

_“You seem better, teme,” Naruto said. _

_Silence stretched on before he continued, “I just mean that you seem more… you, these days.” _

_Naruto was right, of course. No one else would be able to tell, but it was true that Sasuke was starting to come back from that dark place that ruined his life all those years ago. _

_“Don’t get me wrong, you’re still a dark, arrogant bastard. Always have been,” Naruto said with a laugh. “It’s just… I mean look at you! You’re smiling! As much as possible for a teme, anyway.” Naruto lightly nudged Sasuke’s arm as he spoke. _

_Much to Sasuke’s surprise, his lips were indeed slightly turned up at the ends. His dark eyes were soft, barely crinkling on the sides. This shocked the stoic bastard out of his silence. “I’m not sure if Itachi would be proud or appalled,” he joked quietly. _

_Sasuke still thought about his aniki almost daily. But now, he also thought about things he may be missing in his life. Friends, a place to call home, Naruto. Mostly he thought about Naruto. His best friend. The most important person he had left. Was he wasting more precious time living his life mission to mission with only silence in between? The uncertainty was killing him. _

_“Bastard, you know Itachi would be proud of you.” Naruto reassured the raven. _

_“Hn,” Sasuke’s smile stretched further. _

_“Alright, cut it out already. You have to ease into this new happy-go-lucky personality or you’re gonna creep me out.” Naruto laughed loudly at his own joke. Sasuke snorted, the best he could do for laughter. _

_“Not everyone can be as obnoxious as you, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke said with a smirk. _

_“Teme! Don’t start being an asshole now! We were just starting to get along!” Naruto exclaimed loudly. Sasuke shook his head in exasperation._

_It was silent for a long time before Naruto spoke again. _

_“Come home,” Naruto said, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. Sasuke couldn’t tell if it was a suggestion, a demand, or a plea._

_Both men turned their heads to each other. _

_Blue eyes locked with black, and the silence resumed. _

_After a few minutes, Sasuke finally said “Come on, dobe. It’s late.” The topic was not broached again._

_They made their way to an inn for the night, and both hit the road toward Konoha in the morning, much to Naruto’s surprise. _

_Neither spoke much on the way. Naruto was afraid Sasuke would change his mind if he annoyed the raven too much. Sasuke was afraid he would lose his nerve if the blonde voiced the reality that Sasuke was actually following his wish and returning to Konoha. All Sasuke could think was that he was really only doing this for Naruto, his most important person. And that scared the hell out of him. _

I snapped out of my trip down memory lane, to find myself in front of Kakashi in his office as Naruto delivered the report on their mission. Two other ANBU stood next to me, paying full attention to the report their captain was giving. I always found this process to be a little tedious unless I was the one delivering the report. I let my eyes slide down to Naruto’s ass, hoping no one was paying attention to my eyes behind my ANBU mask. Naruto’s full, round ass wiggled slightly as he shifted his weight from one leg to another, then back again. It was obvious he wanted to hurry this up so he could go home and shower. They had been in the woods for the past few weeks, after all. Washing in the river was nowhere near as pleasant as a steaming hot shower. 

Naruto shifted his weight again. 

_Oh dear god. _

I don’t know whether I want Naruto to stop so I won’t get a hard on in the middle of the Hokage’s office, or if I want Naruto to do it again so I can openly drool behind my mask. Luckily, the meeting seemed to be over, as Naruto was suddenly turning around to face me. I jerked my gaze up to meet the beautiful blue eyes before me. 

“Ichiraku’s in an hour?” 

I nod, and almost sigh in relief at not getting caught ogling the blonde’s backside. Once out of the Hokage’s office, all the ANBU members dispersed seemingly into thin air. 

Once inside my newly built home at the Uchiha compound, I shed my gear and jumped in the shower. It had taken a while to build a new home, but it was worth it. I moved into my family’s old house when I returned, but it was a constant, depressing reminder of my past so I decided to start fresh. I rarely had people over. It was really just Naruto, who pretty much came and went as he pleased. I threw a party when I first moved in, at Naruto’s suggestion. It was awful to be in a forced social setting with all Naruto’s friends. Our friends, I guess. I couldn’t escape when I got bored since we were at my house, but it was nice to breathe a little life back into the Uchiha compound. Maybe I’ll have a reason to throw another party sometime soon. I’ll probably hate it, but it’ll make Naruto happy. 

I let my muscles relax completely as the hot water beat on my shoulders and neck, allowing me to unwind. I scrubbed off the layers of dirt and grime in slow, soothing circles. First down my arms, then my chest, all the way down my legs, up the back to my ass and farther up to the expanse of my back. I circled back to the front and gave special attention to my junk. I knew I was clean now, but it felt good. I hadn’t had a chance to touch myself since before the mission, so I was feeling a little pent up. 

I put down the bar of soap in favor of my semi-hard erection. I leaned my back against the wall and tilted my head back until it connected with the cold tile behind me. I gave myself a few lazy tugs, buying time to form a clear picture in my head. Smooth bronze skin that stretched for miles, half-lidded bright blue eyes that held flirtatious hunger, a beautiful half-smile half-smirk, silky blonde hair slicked back from the water, water sliding down his body on all sides. My grip tightened and pace quickened as those eyes locked with mine. 

In my mind’s eye, Naruto’s hand was the one around my rock hard member. He leaned closer, hot breath fanning my ear. Pleasure started to coil in my abdomen. I was not going to last very long like this. I grunted softly as I imagined him nibbling on the shell of my ear. He sucked the lobe then tugged it with his teeth before letting go. As I pinched and flicked one of my nipples, I imagined it was Naruto’s fingers pushing me closer toward the edge. “Cum for me,” he breathed into my ear. I moaned loudly as I released all over my hand and the shower door. Panting heavily, I cleaned up my mess and moved on to washing my hair.

Damn, I really need to tell him how I feel so we can do that for real. That is, if he feels the same way. I need to find a way to see how he feels before confessing. The last thing I want to do is ruin the only real bond I have. An idea pops into my head, and I feel stupid for not thinking of it sooner. 

_Oh yes, that should work._

A smirk slowly glides onto my face as I continue my shower.


	2. Don't Stop Me Now

As I approached Ichiraku’s, I went over my plan and prepared speech in my head one more time. 

_Okay, just get him drunk enough that he won’t remember anything tomorrow, confess, see how he reacts, then do it for real when he’s sober._

Okay, so it’s not a great plan, but it’s the best I’ve come up with so far. 

_Dobe, I have something to tell-_  
_No, Naruto, I have something to-_  
_No, Dobe, I need to tell you some-_  
_No! Fuck, why is this so hard? _

I quickly drop my pre-prepared speech. It sounds fucking terrible. If there’s one thing I refuse to do throughout this horrible ordeal, it’s allow myself, the last Uchiha, to make a fool of myself. 

I swallow thickly as I peel back the awning, and spot a newly squeaky clean blonde sitting on his usual stool. No matter what, I am getting this shit off my chest _tonight._ Soon. Eventually. _Damn it. _

Naruto turns around, sensing my presence. Big, blue eyes shining with excitement gaze deep into mine. My heart beats a little faster, a little louder. He grins widely and I think for a second that I have been caught. Certainly he can hear my heart trying to escape through my throat. 

“Are you gonna stand there all night, teme?” He teases. 

I shake off the feeling of impending doom to the best of my ability, and take the stool next to Naruto, where a bowl of ramen was set the second I walked in. Naruto is already on his second bowl of miso ramen with extra pork slices. I quietly work my way through the meal before me while Naruto babbles on about his unofficial Hokage training he does with Kakashi. 

Occasionally, he gets interrupted by random passersby who stop to chat with the village hero. The blonde knows each and every one of them by name, and seems to know everything about them. He asks about their friends, family, work, hobbies, training. Most of them respectfully acknowledge my presence as well, but don’t push me for conversation. Everyone in the village knows Naruto is the only person I’m willing to hold a conversation with. Our friends are the only other people who can squeeze more than a couple words out of me. 

Naruto never breaks his smile. He really loves being in the village and talking to its people. This place really wouldn’t be the same without him. Every single person feels his loss when he’s away on a mission. It’s like he’s the life force of the village. 

_He’s going to be an incredible Hokage_, I think to myself as I finish my bowl. 

“You know, I’ve been thinking about stepping down from ANBU,” Naruto says casually. 

I straighten up a bit and turn to him, his cue to continue, but he’s already getting off his stool and fishing money out of his ridiculous frog wallet. He slaps the money on the counter and waves to the shop owner and his daughter. I move for my wallet when he speaks again, “I covered it, don’t worry,” he says with another grin. “You can get it next time.”

But I already know he’ll pay next time as well. He never lets me pay at Ichiraku’s. I try not to read into it too much. 

As we stroll down the street, headed in no particular direction, I wait for him to elaborate. 

He doesn’t. Damn it. 

“Why leave ANBU?” I ask. 

Naruto sighs. “It’s just not what I want anymore. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like being ANBU. Especially because I get to be on a team with you again.” He peeks at me out of the corner of his eye, and I try not to read into it. Again. I try not to read into a lot of stuff he does lately. 

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the legacy all the Hokage have left behind. I think it’s time I pass on my knowledge and stuff. You know, have my own genin team. Who knows, maybe one of them will be Hokage someday!” He shouts excitedly. “Before our mission, Kakashi told me he’s planning on stepping down in a couple years. That doesn’t give me much time left to have my own team. And, you know, I want to pass on the Will of Fire and all that.” Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly as though he was slightly embarrassed for wanting to follow the path of his predecessors. 

I nodded slowly as I took it all in. 

It’s certainly safer than being ANBU, not that the blonde idiot can’t take care of himself. Plus, I can understand why he wants this. Although the idea of running around doing D level missions with annoying snot-nosed brats makes me want to hurl. 

“Okay, let’s do it.” I say. 

He stops walking immediately and turns his whole body to face me. His eyes are wide with surprise. 

“What?” I ask in my usual monotone voice, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Not that anyone could tell. 

“I’m just surprised you would leave ANBU to babysit a bunch of kids!” 

“I’m not staying in ANBU if you’re not there,” I replied quietly. Suddenly the entire atmosphere of the conversation has changed. Naruto doesn’t say anything else. He turns and keeps walking like nothing happened, but we both know my comment was heavy with implications. 

“I wouldn’t stay if you left either,” Naruto said hesitantly. He peeks out of the corner of his eye again to gauge my reaction. 

My heart is pounding loudly again. Suddenly, I’m sure we’re talking about more than our status as ANBU. I don’t know what to say, but this is it. Now is the perfect time to tell him how I really feel. The stage is set. Forget the dumbass plan and just do it. 

I take a deep breath and reach out my hand to grip his upper arm, pulling him to a stop so we can face each other properly. He’s looking at me with some really obvious expression I can’t identify. Hope? Anxiety? Hunger? Whatever it is, it’s intense. He’s never been this hard to read before and it’s making me lose my shit. My grip slides up to his shoulder and tightens. I can feel his collarbone scrape against my thumb. I open my mouth to speak, but the words suddenly stick in my throat. 

“Dobe, there’s something that’s been on my mind lately,” I start slowly. I know I’m dragging this out more than I should, but I can’t help it. There’s a million ways this could go wrong, and they all flood my mind at once. 

I step a little closer. His hand comes up to rest on my forearm. My gaze flickers briefly to those tan fingers caressing my pale skin. I swallow thickly as I meet his eyes for the hundredth time tonight. He’s wearing that same expression, but it seems more intense now. I can’t escape the feeling he’s asking me something. He waits for me to continue. 

“Naruto, I don’t really know how to…” I am totally losing my shit now. My heart is hammering inside my chest. Never, in my entire fucking life, have I been uncertain in my words or actions. 

Naruto’s grip on my arm tightened when I spoke his name. I hardly ever call him by his name. It’s not that I don’t want to, it just feels too personal when I say it. It feels like a confession in and of itself. Not that calling him dobe is much better. The nickname is drenched in history and almost makes me smile when I say it. The viciousness of the term ran dry long ago. 

He takes a step closer to me, and I’m suddenly wishing I was taller than him. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty pissed my height stops an inch or two short of his. At least we have the same lean, muscular build. Although it hardly makes me feel any better right now. 

My mind turns blank as I feel his free hand settle on my waist. 

Seriously, my heart is going to leap out of my body. My breath turns into shaky pants as he pulls me closer still. We’re close enough now that I can feel his body heat, but not close enough that I can tell if he’s as affected by this newfound proximity as I am. Outside of sparring, we’ve never been this close before. 

Holy shit, I can’t get enough. My hand on his shoulder slowly slides up his neck and into his golden locks. 

All uncertainty leaves his face. I guess I did something right, answered whatever question he didn’t voice, because he suddenly pulls me in the rest of the way and presses his soft lips firmly against mine. 

I try my hardest not to melt in his arms like a fucking virgin schoolgirl, but he’s making it damned difficult. His arm wrapped fully around my waist is the only thing supporting me. My hand tightens around his hair as I pull his face harder against mine. 

He opens his mouth further and touches his tongue to my lip. An action that’s half request, half invitation. 

I am the last Uchiha, damn it. I will not back down. If there’s any winning this kiss, victory will be mine. 

I open my mouth to greet his seeking tongue with my own. They tangle together for the first time. The kiss gets hotter, harder. He tastes like ramen. It tastes so much better on him. 

His hand snakes its way into my hair and he gives a sharp tug, forcing my head to tilt so he can deepen the kiss. We explore each other’s mouths for what feels like an eternity. My hand leaves his hair to trail up and down his chest. I can feel his heart beating hard and fast, and I suddenly feel quite smug. He breaks the kiss to run his tongue along my jaw up to my ear, where he tugs on the lobe with his teeth. A sound I’ve never heard before escapes my throat. 

His lips and tongue and teeth caress and lick and nip along my neck. All I can do is let my head tilt back and let my soft groans voice themselves. My arm wraps around his neck to pull him flush against me. Both his hands drag down the full expanse of my back and settle on my ass as his mouth continues its assault on every inch of exposed skin it can find. My hips jerk into his on instinct and he rocks back into me, creating a steady rhythm. He hums against my skin. 

I don’t know how I waited this long. This is amazing. This is perfect. It’s just me and him, and I don’t think I’ve ever had such a perfect moment in my incredibly difficult, tragic life. Literally nothing could ruin this moment. 

“AHEM,” a loud voice coughs a few feet away, effectively breaking the spell both S-class shinobi were just caught in. 

Naruto pulls his head away from my neck but does not release the firm grip on my ass. With a deep sigh, the blonde turned his head to face the person bold enough to interrupt their scene. 

“Kakashi-sama would like to see you, Naruto,” a familiar voice stated shakily. 

I turned my head to face my old teammate and close friend with my sharingan spinning. How dare she choose right now to betray our renewed friendship. She was holding a hand to her nose as drops of blood dripped down her fingers. Actually, quite a lot of people were milling about, sporting fresh nosebleeds. 

At this point, I realized we were in the middle of the street, not far from Ichiraku’s. A very busy street, I might add. 

_Oh my god. We just made out in front of the entire village._  
_I was moaning in front of the entire village._  
_Pretty sure I lost the kiss_, I thought bitterly. 

Very aware of the strong hands still on my backside, I pushed the blonde back to a reasonable distance and aggressively fought down a blush. 

As I took a look around, I realized I personally knew quite a few of the onlookers. 

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru without an ounce of surprise in his voice. He stood between Ino and Choji who both looked utterly shocked. They had probably come from the BBQ place across the street just in time to see the show. 

Iruka was standing a few yards away with his jaw practically on the ground. He was probably heading to Ichiraku’s in the hopes of catching Naruto. _This is probably not what he had in mind_, I smirked at the thought. 

“Ah, what a lovely display of youth!” Lee shouted, obviously not caring how unwanted his commentary was. He rubbed Sakura’s back lightly as she gathered the wherewithal to deliver the rest of her message. 

“What does he want?” Naruto asked, ignoring the onlookers. “I was just in his office a few hours ago. Is it important?” 

I can’t believe how calm and collected he is right now. We just fucking made out in front of the entire village and he’s acting like it’s an everyday occurance. Oh my god, is this going to be an everyday occurance now? My heart speeds up at the thought. 

We didn’t actually say much before the kiss. I don’t know where that leaves us. 

_I mean, obviously we’re together now, right?_

I glance at him as he gets more information from Sakura. His lips are swollen and red, but everything else looks the same. 

_Oh my god, what if things stay the same?_ I don’t think I could take it. I need him now. I’ve had a taste and I need more. So much more. _Damn it, don’t be so weak. Just talk to him next time you’re alone._ I nod, set in my resolve. I will make this blonde idiot mine by the end of the night. 

“Alright, alright, Sakura-chan! Jeez, lay off, I’ll go,” Naruto whined and nursed a lump on his head. 

“Come on, teme!” Naruto shouted enthusiastically as he reached for my hand and began dragging me toward the Hokage tower. His fingers laced through mine as he grinned widely at me. 

Oh dear god. That smile could melt glaciers. _Fuck. If this is just the beginning, I am in so much trouble_, I think as my heart skips and my stomach flips.


End file.
